The present invention relates generally to fishing lures and in particular fishing lures having a spoon type body provided with a simulated eye assembly and a removably secured fishing hook with a changeable skirt member to aid a fisherman in altering the lure's appearance.
Success in the sport of fishing, like no other sport, almost exclusively depends on the type of equipment used, rather than the skill of the participator. Fishing lures are an invaluable tool to the recreational and professional fisherman's mastery of the sport. To assist the fisherman, there are numerous types of fishing lures specially designed to attract certain fish. The majority of fishing lures can be placed into one of the general categories including jigs, plugs, spoons and top water fishing lures.
Jig fishing lures typically consist of a fishing hook having an eyelet and a shank portion having a weighted leadhead leaving the eyelet uncovered and attachable to a fishing line. Plug lures generally have a full-bodied wooden or plastic member simulating a live fish with fishing hooks attached to various portions of the full-bodied member. Top water lures are made of various types of material and body shapes which allow the lure to float on the surface of the water with fishing hooks attached to different portions of the body. On the other hand, spoon lures customarily have a thin spoon shaped body member with a fishing hook attached to the rear of the thin body member. Numerous modifications have been made to the above described fishing lures in order to alter their appearance and attract fish.
One modification found in some fishing lures utilizes a movable eye. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,722 to Moore, discloses one known jig type lure with a head portion provided with recessed cavities into which artificial eyes are inserted by force or wedging into the cavities and retained by reason of the undercut configuration of the walls of the cavities, or by a cement or adhesive. This patent requires several complex manufacturing steps to install the artificial eyes, making manufacturing of these lures awkward and expensive.
Another type of fishing lure is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,764 to Jecevicus. This patent discloses a top water fishing lure which shows an artificial eye means attached to the bottom of a wooden block body.
Other fishing lures include skirt dressings attached to a portion of the lure to simulate tails, fins, wings or legs, while partially concealing the fishing hook. Also a top water fishing lure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,914 to Quinlan with a hollowed head member having a removable skirt dressing and an imbedded fastener clip which can detachably secure a tail assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,405 to Woods and 4,228,611 to McGahee show respectively a swivel jointed clasp and a hanger arrangement for removably connecting a hook to a fishing lure.
There are a number of fishing lures having the objective of presenting a life-like appearance. However, spoon lures which are particularly used in pike, walleye, bass and trout fishing have generally relied on the particular color scheme of the spoon lure to attract fish, rather than relying on a life-like appearance.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a spoon type lure presenting a life-like appearance. Likewise, it is desirable to provide a spoon lure construction having a simulated eye assembly. Also, rather than simply adhering the eye assembly to a lure, it is desirable to provide a simulated eye assembly that has structural rigidity, while allowing for convenient mounting.
It is recognized that fish are also attracted to the movement of a bait or lure. Another factor which many lure manufacturers consider in achieving the objective of life-like appearance is the movement of the lure through water. The closer a lure can imitate the swimming motion of a minnow or similar type of live bait, the more likely a fish will be attracted to that lure. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a spoon type lure that imitates the movement of various live bait. Likewise, it is desirable to provide a spoon type lure shaped such that the lure produces a wobbling motion through water.
The particular appearance of a spoon lure on a given day is important for catching pike, walleye, bass and trout. Fishermen often try a number of lures varying in appearance in an attempt to determine which lure performs the best on a given day. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a spoon type lure presenting a life-like appearance and allowing for a change of appearance. Likewise, it is desirable to provide a removable skirt member adjacent the fishing hook which can be changed to alter the color of the skirt member and consequently the general appearance of the spoon lure, while concealing the fishing hook. Also, it is desirable to provide a spoon lure construction having a removably secured fishing hook to allow for varying hock sizes and the changing of skirt members.